Moonfall Book 1: When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker

 

Moonfall Book 1

The Creators did not expect their beloved dragons to sail skyward upon their end. To curl into balls just beyond gravity’s grip, littering the sky with tombstones. With moons.

They certainly did not expect them to fall. 

As a valued Elding Blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath, Raeve’s job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught. When a renowned bounty hunter is employed by The Crown to capture a member of the Ath, Raeve’s world is turned upside down. Blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself at the mercy of the Guild of Nobles—a group of dual-beaded elementals who intend to turn her into a political statement. Only death will set her free.

Crushed beneath a mourning weight, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to assuage the never-ebbing ache in his chest, his hunt for a moonshard lures him into the belly of Gore’s notorious prison where he stumbles upon something that rips apart his perception of reality. A shackled miracle with eyes full of rage and blood on her hands.

The echo of the past sings louder than the Creators themselves, and even Raeve can’t ignore the truths blaring at her from a warmer, happier time.

However.

There’s more to this song than meets the eye, and some truths …

They’re too poisonous to swallow.

When the Moon Hatched is a fast-paced fantasy romance for fans of witty banter and strong, sassy protagonists. Beneath the cover is an immersive, vibrant world with mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that blazes through the ages.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202507554-when-the-moon-hatched

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

Raeve is an assassin. Tracking down bad people who have done very bad things. She relishes in taking them out. But when a bounty hunter arrives looking for her, it changes everything. Captured, tortured, grieving, she is waiting for death. Until Kaan Vaegor breaks her free. Now she is set on a path that holds the truth and missing pieces of her path. But it is something she does not want to know. Because nothing good ever lasts long for her. And if she feels this tug toward Kaan then she knows that it will only end in death. This is a big new fantasy world and I will say, takes a minute to get into it and figure it out all. We have dragons and magic and gods. We have a big cast of characters, lots of secrets, and just when you have some questions answered, we have several more things we want to know. It’s hard to explain and get into without spoilers. But overall, I really enjoyed diving into this world. The end definitely had me hooked and I am super grateful I read this just as book two was released. Though I’m sure I will regret it if book two ends with a cliffhanger like book one! But I really enjoyed this story and the characters especially. Lots of fun banter and the romance between Kaan and Raeve is really just starting. And with what we learn at the end, I can’t wait to see what happens next for them. 

Siren’s Point Book 2: Facing Leeward by JJ Mulder

 

Siren’s Point Book 2

Winters are slow in Siren’s Point. For Nils Lee, that means solitude, tending his chickens, and minding his own. It means days of silence. For Oliver Martin, the season brings a different, unique set of challenges: home repairs and loneliness.

Neighbors and coworkers, Nils and Oliver are together more often than they are apart. It’s not enough, though, and both of them wish for more. More time, more companionship, more intimacy. Unsure of how to ask for it, they simply move forward as they are, ignoring the attraction growing between them.

Oliver knows he can be a lot. His personality, his energy, his inability to talk, or think, in a straight line. All of it, too much for most people, and certainly too much for quiet, calm Nils.

Nils has spent his life choosing silence. A partner was never in his future. And, until Oliver moved in next door, he might have said that life was perfect for him. Now, he wishes the short distance between their houses didn’t exist and Oliver was always near enough for Nils to hear him singing.

When a massive winter storm hits Siren’s Point, the choice about whether to close that last bit of space is made for them. With snow falling outside and a fire burning, Oliver and Nils find out there is more than one way to stay warm during winter.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249043550-facing-leeward

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Nils and Oliver are together more often than they are apart. After a year of working together, their friendship has truly developed. While Oliver can never sit still and always has something to say, Nils is a quiet listener. Though mostly because talking with his stutter is never easy. But he never tires of hearing Oliver talk. Especially when Oliver can read him so well and actually gives him a chance to speak when Nils wants to. Now that it is winter and they aren’t on the boat so often, they still find themselves drifting to one another. Oliver is constantly attempting home repairs with Nils’s help and Oliver loves cooking Nils food and visiting his chickens. So it’s only a matter of time that they come to realize that this friendship between them feels like so much more. And when they take a chance to become more, it may be the best thing that’s happened to both of them. I adored these two! They were just so sweet and I loved watching their friendship slowly develop into something so much more. They balanced one another out perfectly and also gave each other safe spaces to truly be themselves. I loved getting to know them more and watch them fall in love. Another great book in this series, and I can’t wait for more!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Radford U Book 2: Crossing Lines by Mel McCabe

 

Radford U Book 2

Asher Reynolds–Dutch to his teammates–is the guy who always wants things to be fair. But there’s nothing fair about losing his sister in a car accident a few months ago, along with suffering an injury that’s going to derail his senior year with the Radford Renegades.

Wyatt Chase is used to handling whatever life throws at him. A former pro hockey player who lost his career to a brutal injury, he’s now a single dad to a precocious five-year-old—and Radford’s newest physical therapist. He’s no stranger to clawing his way forward in spite of the odds.

What he’s not expecting is for Asher–broody and sullen and injured–to be his first serious case so early in the season. Or his next door neighbor. And he’s definitely not expecting for Asher’s depth–and pain–to stir something in Chase that he’s spent years trying to push past.

He knows that Asher is one-hundred-percent off limits. He’s Chase’s patient, and it’s his responsibility to help rehab him and keep the line between them clear.

So, why do they keep finding themselves crossing it over and over again?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/252144376-crossing-lines

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

Asher is drowning. Him and his sister were in a car accident over the summer and while Asher may have had a serious injury, his sister didn’t make it. Since then, he has been drowning in his grief and trying to get by day by day. He was able to at least make the decision to go back to Radford U and finish his senior year. He is on scholarship to play hockey so he has to get back in shape for it. That means going to physical therapy. There is no chance he’ll play this semester but that doesn’t mean he can’t be ready for next if he follows his program. But motivation is hard to find completely. But that won’t happen under Chase’s watch. Chase knows what it is like to lose his hockey career and his job as a physical therapist is one he loves. Especially when it helps players get back to the game they love. But Asher stumps him. Because right now, he doesn’t see someone fighting to get back to playing, he sees someone struggling to just be there in the moment. Bit by bit though, Chase helps spark Asher back to life. Just in more ways than one. Because the connection between them becomes hard to ignore the more time they spend together. And when they are neighbors and Chase sees Asher treating his five year old daughter, it’s hard to resist. Starting anything between them beyond player and trainer is a terrible idea. But it’s only a matter of time until they cross a line they can’t take back. But love may just be worth the risk. Great story all around! Asher really was just not doing well in the beginning of the story and for good reasons. But I loved seeing the spark come back to him bit by bit as the story went on. And that Chase was someone who could be there for him and help him get through it and become so much more. These two were really great for one another in a lot of ways. And they well deserved their happy ending.

Radford U Book 1: Power Play by Mel McCabe

 

Radford U Book 1

The one who broke him may just be the one who puts him back together.

Kellan O’Reilly’s life is a delicate balancing act. He needs to have a stellar last season to get picked up by an NHL team, not get caught by his coach working an overnight job that he desperately needs to keep to help his family, and, adding even more to his plate, figure out why his new tutor seems to hate him on sight.

Bennett “Wells” Wellington III has done everything that he can to avoid tutoring athletes. So, when he’s forced to help Kellan O’Reilly, the carefully crafted facade he’s worked for years to perfect starts crumbling. Because even if Kellan doesn’t remember him, he’s part of the reason that Wells is unrecognizable as his past self.

Now, it’s Wells that holds the power after all these years, and he has no plans to give it up. The only problem is… Kellan’s nothing like the kid he used to know, and as he tries to make Kellan’s life hell, he’s starting to wonder who’s actually in charge. Or why being with Kellan is suddenly making him feel more like himself than ever before.

As they spend more time together, Wells’ commanding presence and dominating nature unlocks a part of Kellan that’s like a drug to experience. Better than the sleep he desperately needs. More gratifying than the record goals he’s putting up this season. And, honestly, the best sex of his life, hands down.

But Wells seems to hate that he wants him. How can Kellan make him realize that the two of them together could be the best thing that’s ever happened to both of them?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242723436-power-play

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

Kellan is doing everything he can to stay above water. He’s in his senior year of college where he needs to play his best hockey in order to get signed on by a NHL team. But he is also constantly working when he can to help his mom pay the bills after his stepdad left her and his brothers several months earlier with no warning. Not that Kellan isn’t glad to see the guy gone, but taking care of so many people is a lot for Kellan and his mom. And because of all that, it’s no matter that his grades are slipping a bit and his coach signs him up for a tutor. But the moment he walks into Wells’s office, he knows the guy hates him. But he can’t figure out why. Wells has a good reason to dislike Kellan. Back when he was a freshman in high school, Kellan wasn’t exactly nice and it led to Wells transferring. But he can see the look on Kellan’s face that he has no idea who Wells is. And as hard as he tries to hang on to his anger, he is conflicted when he doesn’t see a hint of the guy that Wells used to know. Has Kellan truly changed? Even more mind blowing is the attraction they have with one another. One that once they act on is hard to resist after that. But Wells has plenty of reasons besides their shared history to keep his walls up. Doesn’t mean Kellan won’t try to break them down bit by bit. A good story all around. Definitely looking forward to reading the next one.

Betrothed in Fury by Devon McCormack

 

LOGAN

Charming. Sexy as sin. Out of his damn mind.

That sums up Killian Lorde, one of the most powerful crime bosses in Fury’s underworld.

Since his father passed, he’s stepped into his role as head of the family business.

A role which I, the golden boy of the Wilde clan, more than understand. Forced by birth into a life of corruption and moral bankruptcy, I exist for one to protect my family at all costs.

Only this time, the price is my freedom.

Unbeknownst to me, to maintain my family’s alliance with the Lordes, I’ve been betrothed to Killian.

I’ve always known him to be a bastard, but this arrangement brings out the worst in him.

He’s a monster. Pure, unfettered evil.

He doesn’t just want to marry me. He wants to control and possess me, and when his curiosity becomes obsession, we struggle for power as he demands the one thing I can’t give him.

My complete and total surrender.

Dark MM Romance, grumpy/psycho-sunshine, mob-bosses-to-lovers, morally gray men, frighteningly possessive MC, “Oh, what did that contract say?” arranged marriage, bi-awakening, touch-him-and-die (like, tied up in a sack, thrown into a lake, and left for dead), anything-for-the-family vibes, torture-as-foreplay (just mob bosses doing what they love), “Did I say you could have mashed potatoes?” (iykyk)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250236531-betrothed-in-fury

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

When Logan’s father was on his deathbed, he made Logan make him a promise and sign a contract. And though he insisted on explaining to Logan and reading what he signed, Logan refused simply because he wasn’t ready to admit his father was about to leave him. Logan knew that he was about to inherit the responsibility of protecting their family and taking his place as one of the crime bosses. Ten years later, he finally finds out what that promise entails. Killian has been patient and has made his own promise to his father to honor their alliance with Logan’s family and protect them. And he’s ready to collect. Because that contract? It was for Killian and Logan to get married. Shocked at first, Logan is ready to fight but he knows deep down he’ll have no choice. He needs Killian’s protection. But that doesn’t mean he will easily submit to Killian’s orders. Well, mostly. Because the more these two interact with one another, the more this darker attraction between them sparks. They’re obsessive, possessive, and have a lot more in common than they realize. I really enjoyed Logan and Killian’s story. This was a darker mm mafia romance and I was all for it. The chemistry between Killian and Logan was great and I loved seeing their relationship really develop as the story went on. It became so much more than either had ever imagined. I’m really hoping we get more stories in this world! 

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Magic and Romance Book 2: The Fake Divination Offense by Sara Raasch

 

Magic and Romance Book 2

Orok Half-giant. Rawball defensive tank on the Philadelphia Hellhounds. Follower of Urzoth...only Orok’s tired of following the god of aggression.

Alexo Cheerleader. Human? A dancer with a stadium’s worth of secrets.

When Orok saves Alexo at a bar, fans go feral for the star athlete protecting the pint-size dude-in-distress. The Hellhounds propose that Orok and Alexo start a PR relationship to put a positive spin on Orok’s god. Orok is set to refuse and renounce Urzoth—but that wouldn’t let him see Alexo again.

So, like a sap, he agrees.

As Orok tries to drop the fake part of their fake-relationship, Alexo’s dangerous truths emerge. To save him, Orok will have to sacrifice far more than his divine association.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240019548-the-fake-divination-offense

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Orok finally returns home to Philly to play roarball for the Hellhounds. He is more than glad to be back in this town his with his best friend and for the law suit that has been years in the making to be finally over. Even more, he is just tired of being a follower of Urzoth and is ready to leave him and his past behind. He wants that clean slate. But fate has different plans. When he first sees Alexo, Orok knows he is in trouble. There is a connection between them and Orok wants to find out more. What he doesn’t like is when someone tries to hurt Alexo. In standing up for him though, turns out that catches a lot of attention. The Hellhounds and church of Urzoth propose a plan to better their PR if Alexo and Orok agree to a fake relationship. And somehow they find themselves saying yes. But Orok wants real, Alexo has secrets, and there is danger in the shadows ready to hurt them both. Loved being back in this world! This was such a fun magical world and I’m glad we got to read Orok’s story. The guy has been through enough and deserves some happiness. And Alexo is really the perfect guy for him. It was fun watching these two fall for one another. Just a fun story all around! 

Bridgeport Jetties The Call-Up Years Book 0.5: Finding Home by Lizzie C. Koz

 

Bridgeport Jetties The Call-Up Book 0.5

Finding Home is a spicy best-friends-to-lovers MM baseball romance with an unrequited love that refuses to fade, a painful separation, a kiss that changes everything, and selfies that say what words can’t.

The world keeps the ugly truth about love to itself: Not everyone falls in love with someone who will love them back.

EASTON

My dream is finally coming true. Why? Because your boy just got drafted to play pro baseball. Yee-haw! (Ohmygod, did I just say yee-haw?)

There’s one glaring thing missing though. Maddox. My ride-or-die. It was always supposed to be us—major league ballplayers, side by side. 

But now I’m the one who made it, and I have to leave him behind. 

I don’t know how I’ll handle the distance when I haven’t spent a day apart from Maddy since we were six. 

I keep reminding myself it’ll be okay. We’ll talk every day. Text, call, video chat. It’ll be like he’s right there with me.

Yeah, this is fine. Totally fine.

But then why do I feel like I’m leaving an essential part of myself back in Connecticut?

MADDOX

I did the one thing literally everyone tells you not to do.

I fell in love with my straight best friend.

Yep. That’s me—the cliché gay boy who lost his heart to a boy who can’t love him back. I know it’s stupid. I know I should move on. But me and East? We’re inseparable. From T-ball at six to D1 college ball, we’ve done everything together…and that’s exactly the problem.

I can’t get over him like this. I need space. And I think this is my chance. He’s leaving for his minor league assignment for a couple months.

I’ll use the time to cleanse myself of Easton Winters, and when he comes back, we’ll be best friends again. For real this time. 

No more pathetic pining.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244205989-finding-home

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

Easton and Maddy have been best friends since they were kids. They are inseparable. But growing up is hard. Especially when Maddy realized that he was in love with his best friend and is positive that Easton will never feel the same back. They move through college with Maddy hiding this and watching Easton never realize. Then when Easton is drafted to play baseball, Maddy makes a deal with himself. The distance is excuse to separate. He’ll get over his feelings. He has to. But cutting off Easton is breaking his heart in a whole other way. And turns out, it is destroying Easton as well. Easton has realized long ago that he doesn’t feel things the same way as others but he sure feels something awful when Maddy won’t talk to him. And it’s time to fix that. Oof, these two! Poor guys. Really torture themselves before we get the happy ending they deserve. Was glad I got to go back and see how these two found their way to one another!